January 12, 2021

45 RPMs 54: Don Cherry ~ Band of Gold

 ~      
7" vinyl 45 rpm record 
photo by Styrous®

 
Don Cherry was born on this date in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas. He started in his early 1920s as a big band singer in the orchestras of Jan Garber and Victor Young. In 1951, he recorded his first solo hits, Thinking of You and Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle. In 1955, he recorded his biggest hit, Band of Gold, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The track peaked at No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart.          
 
Band of Gold is a classic pop song, with music by Jack Taylor and lyrics by Bob Musel. It was published in 1955. It was used in the television series, Mad Men.    
 
 

Don Cherry ~ Band of Gold
7" vinyl 45 rpm record label
photo by Styrous®
 
 
He had a fantastic tenor voice with a dreamy quality that had a touch of Dean Martin, only better! He was also a good looking man.   


date & photographer unknown

  
However, his career never rose to stardom as a singer and he is better known as a golfer. He was one of America’s top-ranked amateur golfers and was in contention to win the 1960 U.S. Open before eventually finishing tied for ninth along with Ben Hogan, four strokes behind winner Arnold Palmer        


Don Cherry - 1953 
photo: Augusta Nationall/Getty Images


Cherry published his biography, Cherry's Jubilee, with co-writer Neil Daniels. He was a good friend of Willie Nelson, and had collaborated on three albums with him, Augusta (1995), The Eyes of Texas (2002), and It's Magic (2007).         
 
In 1970, Freda Payne recorded a song with the same title, Band of Gold, written and composed by former Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland but it was a totally different tune. Where The Cherry song is positive, the Payne one is not.      


Don Cherry ~ Rumble Boogie
7" vinyl 45 rpm record 
photo by Styrous®


His son, Stephen, was a casualty of the 9/11 attacks when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower. Don Cherry died at a Las Vegas hospice on April 4, 2018; he was 94 years old.         


Don Cherry ~ Rumble Boogie
7" vinyl 45 rpm record label
photo by Styrous®

        
Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Band Of Gold, written by Musel*, J. Taylor*

Side 2:

B - Rumble Boogie, written by E. Curtis*

Companies, etc.
  
    Published By – Ludlow Music, Inc.
    Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Bridgeport

   
Credits:


    Orchestra – Ray Conniff & His Orch.*

Notes:



Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
        
    Matrix / Runout (Label Side A): ZSP 37224
    Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): ZSP 37223
    Matrix / Runout (Stamped Side A): ZSP37224-1D
    Matrix / Runout (Stamped Side B): ZSP37223-1E     
      
      
      
  
Viewfinder links:       
         
Don Cherry        
Ray Conniff       
Dean Martin          
Willie Nelson        
     
Net links:       
         
Amature Golf ~ Don Cherry dies at 94        
     
YouTube links:      
        
Don Cherry ~   
    Band of Gold         
    Belle My Liberty Belle          
    Rumble Boogie    
Freda Payne ~ Band of Gold       
      
      

Styrous® ~ Tuesday, January 12, 2021






      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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